Nope, never. My retirement plan is a ditch with a nice view of the Rockies in Colorado and a bottle of gin on a cold winter night. Everything I've saved into (SS, TSP, retirement accounts) will inevitably disappear before I can access them/hit the age requirements. I don't trust the system at all (I didn't trust it before the election outcome either). I'm fucked. We're all fucked. Might as well live it up now while I still can.
I really like backgammon but no one ever wants to play with me
My grandma had these at her house and they were used so often they eventually fell apart. Years later I found a set of 6 at a thrift store and bought them for nostalgia's sake and now I have all my snacks in them.
I never thought I would mind changing my last name when getting married until it actually happened, and I was surprisingly emotional about it. It felt like I was erasing my identity or something, a totally unexpected feeling that came out of nowhere. It was also weird to have to change my signature after having it for so many years.
We ended up getting divorced 7 years later and I reclaimed my maiden name, and needless to say, if I ever get married again, I will not be changing my last name. It was also a nightmare of paperwork to change it (both to get married and divorced), and I don't want to do that yet again.
I would be rich as fuck
I'm visiting my elderly father this weekend and he told me last night that he remembers when he and my mom took me to the doctor when I was like 2 or 3 and I tested positive for high amounts of lead (not lead poisoning, just a high amount), and now I'm like damn, maybe that explains why I suck at a few things...
I wouldn't say I'm legit dumb though. I maintained a 4.0 GPA in college and I get by just fine, but now I'm like "do I suck at math because I was exposed to lead as a child?"
This is my favorite way to cook it: Beans & Greens
Or just saute it in a little olive oil with some garlic. The key is to remove the leaves from the stems and only cover the pan for like 5 minutes. You don't want it overcooked, that's when it gets nasty. I feel like too many people think kale should be cooked down like spinach and it just comes out a mushy mess.
Kale. I hated it as a kid, but that's because my parents never removed the stems, and then boiled it down into mush, neither of which is the correct way to cook kale. Now that I cook my own, I love it and eat it regularly.
Nobody is taking Nyquil to decongest, they're taking it to pass the fuck out.
Sleepy Time extra strength. Valerian root, take me away.
Surprise surprise. Remember when this bullshit first kicked off and they were like "Oh yeah, we'll totally let them back in once the fighting stops"? Yeah, that was never the plan.
Falling into a nice comfy bed when you're exhausted and just passing out
Using an actual flushing toilet after being out in the wilderness for even just a few days
Orgasms
Eating your favorite meal
Having your back scratched or getting a massage
Apparently I think the best feelings have to do with the physical and not the mental, not sure why that is
Man Push Cart, it's about an immigrant trying to make ends meet while living in NYC.
CunninLynguists - Will Rap for Food
Nappy Roots - Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz
Deltron Zero - Deltron 3030
Jurassic 5 - self titled album
Lupe Fiasco Food & Liquor
1999 - Taco Bell nachos did me in, never ate there or at any Taco Bell ever again.
2004 - Some sushi joint outside of Tacoma, WA, I had the shrimp tempura. Nothing tasted off, but that was my first experience with it coming out of both ends at the same time.
2005 - I was an idiot that thought, for God knows what reason, that the floor of the trailer I called home at the time while stationed in Iraq would remain cold enough to keep a can of Fritos dip cool after I opened it (we did not have a fridge). I was very very wrong and paid the price later the following evening after finishing the dip that day, and that was my second experience with it coming out both ends at the same time. I know it was my own fault, but I still can't eat those dips to this day.
Fast forward to 2020 - 2023, something is making me randomly ill on a monthly, sometimes weekly basis. I eat a regular meal, 30 minutes later I'm in the bathroom with horrible cramps and shits. It took me nearly 3 years to figure out that I'd become lactose intolerant due to age (this is apparently a common occurrence as you get older). Haven't had any issues now that I know to avoid most dairy, but I can immediately tell if I've unknowingly ingested some, because it feels like I've been poisoned 15 minutes into consuming it. Then comes the frantic race to swallow as much Lactaid and lactase pills as I can to calm the storm before it can reach my intestines.
My partner hates cooking, and I love it, so the deal in our house is I cook and they do all the cleaning in the kitchen, unless I made something specifically for me, since they have some medical issues that prevents them from eating certain things, then I will do the cleaning of the mess made during the preparation of cooking that specific meal.
As far as cooking from scratch or pre-made, I'm about half and half. I rarely make my own red sauce or pasta, but all baking is from scratch, breakfast foods like pancakes, yes I would make those from scratch as well. Soups, stews, chili, Asian, Mexican, Indian recipes, mostly from scratch, but many sauce elements I would buy.
This is fucking brutal, man. I can handle some shit, but not dead animals that were killed just because. I think I would have lost my mind.
When I was deployed to Iraq my platoon ran the post office on the FOB, and one of the jobs we all had was going through packages that other soldiers were mailing home to make sure everything they wanted to send was safe/legal to ship. There were several instances where I had to go through footlockers that belonged to soldiers who were killed (their belongings get mailed back to their family once the family has been properly notified; the shipments are handled differently/tracked differently than regular mail). It always fucked me up to go through someone's stuff, knowing they were now dead. Like, you get this little window into their lives: pictures of their family, CDs of the music they liked, books they were reading, all that shit, but then you see the bookmark in that book where they left off and you realize they're never going to finish it, just little things like that that were hard to process, whether you personally knew that soldier or not.
But then it gets even more fucked up because weeks and sometimes months after they were killed, they're still getting mail from people in the states that sent it way before that person was killed, so now you have stacks of letters and packages and post cards for a dead person that they're never gonna get, and the post cards are filled with "I love you and miss you" etc etc, and it kinda crushes your soul a little bit, because you have to go through it all just like the footlocker and ship it all back to the family.
Will COVID death rates of Republicans have a significant impact on the outcome of the presidential election?
A study was conducted that revealed that once a COVID vaccine was available, Republicans were more likely to die than Democrats:
Republicans' excess death rate spiked after COVID-19 vaccines arrived, a study says
Excess Death Rates for Republicans and Democrats During the COVID-19 Pandemic
"This study constructs an individual-level dataset with political affiliation and excess death rates during the COVID-19 pandemic via a linkage of 2017 voter registration in Ohio and Florida to mortality data from 2018 to 2021. We estimate substantially higher excess death rates for registered Republicans when compared to registered Democrats, with almost all of the difference concentrated in the period after vaccines were widely available in our study states. Overall, the excess death rate for Republicans was 5.4 percentage points (pp), or 76%, higher than the excess death rate for Democrats."
Do you think this will have a significant impact on the election results in states like Ohio and Florida?
Looking for "R-rated", gritty, gorey high fantasy books
I wanna read something that's fucking brutal with fighting and sex and all the things, but also WELL WRITTEN (so NOT George R.R. Martin, I can't stand his shit). I want Lord of the Rings on crack and steroids.
If Trump loses the election and flees to another country to avoid his sentencing in his (multiple) lawsuits, does the Secret Service have to go with him?
Former U.S. presidents are authorized a security detail from the Secret Service for life. If Trump loses the election and flees the country, does his security detail have to go with him if he requests it?
I imagine this could go down in a variety of ways: He departs the U.S. before he's sentenced and just never returns, or he attempts to flees or does flees the U.S. after his sentencing. Either way, what happens to his security detail?
If he attempts to flees after he's sentenced, I would hope the detail would refuse to take part in it (if he can even board a plane/leave the country to begin with), but given all their failings, who knows.
What's been the craziest moment of your life?
Doesn't need to be a life or death situation, just any moment in your life where you found yourself saying "Holy shit, I can't believe this is happening!"
Name a Superhero you just can't stand
For some reason I've just never liked Spider-Man. He comes off as a whiney, ignorant child that never seems to grow up or mature despite everything he goes through. I love a good coming of age story, but he just never seems to become an adult.
What's a recipe that you will NEVER make again?
Have you ever tried a recipe that turned out to go horribly wrong, or maybe the end product, despite being good, just wasn't worth the effort? What was that recipe, and what about it made you say "NEVER AGAIN"?
I ask this as I am actively trying to remove the stench of onions from my Instapot lid's silicone ring after making French Onion Soup in it (so far steaming it with white vinegar on the steam setting, soaking the ring in a water/baking soda bath overnight, and baking it at 250 degrees F for 20 minutes have all done nothing, so I ordered a new one, I give up). And I realized that cutting all the onions and waiting hours for them to caramelize and now this damn smell issue just isn't worth it. Plus I still have frozen soup in the freezer because I can only eat French Onion soup so many days in a row.
NEVER AGAIN.
If money was not an issue, would you move to an entirely different state or country?
If yes, where would you move to?
If no, why not?
I ask this as someone who has moved around a lot (5 states) for better working opportunities. I often hear people say they wish they could leave their current city/state/country, but money is often (understandably) an issue.
PACT Act-- Would You Apply?
Hello fellow veterans! My question concerns the PACT Act, and I was wondering if anyone here had any experience with this?
I served during OIF from '05 - '06. I was exposed to burn pits and regularly burned things in barrels (although it was trash, not human waste or anything), however I've suffered zero long-term effects that I'm aware of, and it's now been 17 years (holy shit, time flies) since then. I'm reading that veterans should apply "just because", but I don't want to be the person that clogs the already overburdened system, and hell, it's been 17 years and nothing has cropped up, so I assume I'm fine.
Should I enroll even though I have no issues? It's unclear to me if they'll even accept a claim if someone has no issues (and why would they accept it, right?). The deadline is August 9th.
Add a little spice to your coffee
This version of the Yemeni spice blend is made for tea, coffee, and other sweets.
I use this blend of spices more during the winter months, but it's tasty in any season:
HAWAIJ (SWEET YEMENI SPICE BLEND)
Ingredients
2 Tbsp dried ginger (or 2 large dried pieces of ginger)
2 Tbsp cardamom seeds (removed from pods) (or 2 Tbsp ground cardamom)
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground mace (or 2-3 pieces mace)
12 whole cloves (or ½ tsp ground cloves)
1 whole cinnamon stick (or 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon)
Instructions Grind all spices together in a spice grinder. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 12 months.
(See linked website for more recipes and info)
What makes a great sci-fi story?
I'm curious what users feel makes a great sci-fi story. What elements do you feel "make or break" the story specifically where sci-fi is concerned? For me, I really enjoyed the Expanse series, as it feels like there's a sort of "believability" to it all. The authors make everything seem very realistic, even if some of the descriptions and physics are made up.
What is it about your favorite sci-fi books and shows that make them your favorites?
Detangler brush recommendation
Read reviews and buy Swissco Detangler Hair Brush - Black at Target. Choose from contactless Same Day Delivery, Drive Up and more.
Hello fellow curly-haired people!
I just wanted to recommend the linked detangler brush. I use this one in the shower on wet hair and it has been a game-changer-- way less pulling and breakage and hair loss in general. I was using a wide-tooth comb before I came across this brush, but it's soooo much nicer and I don't spend 30 minutes picking through my hair now. If you haven't tried one of these brushes, it's totally worth the $5!
Nestle Alternatives
Hello, and a big FUCK YOU to Nestle!
I wanted to start a thread where we could share any Nestle-alternative products we have come across! I will get the ball rolling with what I have found over the years:
KitKat- KitKats used to be my very favorite candy, so I was bummed when I learned they are made by Nestle. This is now my go-to alternative: https://norwegianfoodstore.com/products/kvikk-lunsj-chocolate-3-x-47-gram
Kiehl's skincare products- I used to use Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream, but now use e.l.f Holy Hydration face cream, which has the same ingredients and costs much less per ounce https://www.elfcosmetics.com/elf-skin
Starbucks ground/whole bean coffee- Some of the bags you buy in the supermarket are made by Nestle (you have to check the back and sides of the bag to be sure). I stopped buying Starbucks and started buying bags of whole bean from a local coffee shop that roasts their own
Garnier hair care products- I dye my hair frequently and used to use Garnier product, whose parent company is L'Oreal, which is owned by Nestle. I now use Clairol instead
For a large list of Nestle-owned products, see Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nestl%C3%A9_brands
What are some Nestle-alternative brands that others here have found and enjoy?